Communication expert Dianna Booher always shares presentation ideas that make a big impact on how you sell - and today's is no different!
Presenting proof makes a powerful presentation. But proof alone rarely makes a sale. Or sells an idea. Many people have wasted enormous amounts of time gathering proof only to discover that a prospect or a manager wouldn't agree that their data proved anything. Always agree on what the other party accepts as proof.
Next, confirm that the other party considers such proof meaningful. For example, you may prove that your engine is faster than any on the market, but if your client values low-cost maintenance more than speed, your proof will be "beside the point."
Then document your proof in writing so others can verify it. It's always advisable to capture your data and publish it in an article or white paper so that it passes the scrutiny of all concerned.
Finally, don't build your whole presentation around your proof, counting on it as "the sure thing." People buy for any number of reasons, and logical proof is only one of them.
Author of 42 books, Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. www.Dianna-Booher.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Quote of the Week
"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck." -- Estee Lauder, entrepreneur
Sales is about effort and persistance - don't let anyone tell you otherwise! It requires a commitment to putting in your best day after day. Are you up for the challenge?
Sales is about effort and persistance - don't let anyone tell you otherwise! It requires a commitment to putting in your best day after day. Are you up for the challenge?
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Three Biggest Mistakes in Sales Presentations
Today sales expert Dave Kahle shares the three biggest mistakes you can make in a sales presentation. Thankfully, he also shares what you can do to fix them!
The sales presentation is the ultimate purpose of every sales process, of every sales call, and of every sales system. The job of the sales person revolves around the point in time when he offers the customer something to buy.
The sales presentation can take a variety of forms. If you demonstrate a product, for example, that is a sales presentation. If you use a hard-copy brochure or a CD Rom presentation on your lap-top, that is a sales presentation. If you deliver and detail a sample, that is a sales presentation. If you respond to the customer’s request, and provide a price, deliver a proposal, or submit a bid, each of these are sales presentations.
Without the sales presentation, there can be no sale. It is, then, the foundational step in the sales process. Everything that happens before is in preparation for the presentation, and everything that happens afterward is a result of the presentation.
You would think, then, that every sales person is extremely well-trained in the science of making an effective sales presentation.
Alas, that is not the case. Left to learn on their own, many sales people make the same mistakes over and over again. Here are the three most commonly made sales presentation mistakes.
1. Lack of preparation.
In my very first sales position, I had to endure six weeks of sales training. In those six weeks, the entire training class had to memorize two four-page sales presentations, and give them to the training class. We were videoed and critiqued, over and over, for the six weeks. At the end of that time we were thoroughly prepared to give that sales presentation.
Now that may have been a bit of an overkill, but the point remains: Preparation is the first step towards an effective sales presentation.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that you memorize the presentation. But it does mean that you organize it, that you secure and check your collateral (the sample, brochures, price quotes, etc that form the basis of what you are selling), and that you practice the presentation several times until you are comfortable with it and confident in your ability to deliver it.
Unfortunately, preparation is a discipline that seems to be fading from the routines of many sales people. The world is full of sales people who either have little respect for their customer’s time, no particular interest in doing their jobs well, or an over-inflated view of their own ad-libbing abilities. Any of these produces the sense that they don’t need to prepare, that on the spur of the moment, they will come up with the most persuasive things to say, in the most effective manner.
That’s too bad. Preparation is the first step toward a better sales presentation, and lack of preparation is endemic in the world of sales.
2. Information purging.
This occurs when a sales person thinks his/her job is to relate everything he/she knows about the product, service or proposal.
I was deeply into a training program wherein we work with six sales people every day for a week. Sales people role-played various situations, we videoed them, critiqued them, and had them role play again, only better.
We were methodically working through the sales process, and it was time to make the sales presentation. The class was taught to organize the presentation on the basis of what they learned about the customer in the previous “find out what they want” role play.
One particular sales person never got that message. He thought a sales presentation was like an oral exam in school. It was his opportunity to spill everything he knew about the product. What should have been a 20 minute presentation dragged on and on for 45 minutes. Even though it was a role play in front of the class, even though it was being video recorded, the person playing the customer began to fall asleep. The hapless sales person continued on, purging himself of every bit and morsel of related information. I had to finally step in and put an end to the tedium.
While that may have been a dramatic example of this mistake, it occurs in smaller ways thousands of times a day. It occurs when sales people feel the need to tell the customer everything they know about the product or service they are presenting, whether the customer cares or is interested in that feature or not.
The problem is greater than just “too much information.” Sales people who do this disrespect the customer, as they don’t take the customer’s interests and requirements into account in the presentation.
As a result, customers are turned off and tuned out, and sales people leave shaking their heads, unable to fathom why the customer didn’t buy all the incredible features of his sales presentation.
3. Failure to include the customer in the presentation.
This occurs when the sales person thinks that the presentation is all about his product, service or proposal. The truth is that effective sales presentations are always about two things: the offer, and how it can impact the customer.
When sales people simply talk about their offer, and ignore the second half of the equation, they make one of the most common mistakes.
Customers are far more interested in how the thing being presented impacts them, than they are in the details of the offer.
The sales person may be impressed with all the neat details and features, but that reflects his/her values, not necessarily those of the customer.
The best sales presentations describe the salient features of the offer, and then relate them to how they impact the customer. Remember “features and benefits”?
This third most common mistake occurs when sales people emphasize the features, and forget the benefits.
If you are guilty of any of these mistakes, or, as a manager, if your sales force is guilty of them, their sales presentations are not as effective as they could be. You are leaving money on the table. Fix these mistakes, and watch your sales rise.
Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He's authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. For a limited time, you can buy his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, and receive $534 of FREE bonuses. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
The sales presentation is the ultimate purpose of every sales process, of every sales call, and of every sales system. The job of the sales person revolves around the point in time when he offers the customer something to buy.
The sales presentation can take a variety of forms. If you demonstrate a product, for example, that is a sales presentation. If you use a hard-copy brochure or a CD Rom presentation on your lap-top, that is a sales presentation. If you deliver and detail a sample, that is a sales presentation. If you respond to the customer’s request, and provide a price, deliver a proposal, or submit a bid, each of these are sales presentations.
Without the sales presentation, there can be no sale. It is, then, the foundational step in the sales process. Everything that happens before is in preparation for the presentation, and everything that happens afterward is a result of the presentation.
You would think, then, that every sales person is extremely well-trained in the science of making an effective sales presentation.
Alas, that is not the case. Left to learn on their own, many sales people make the same mistakes over and over again. Here are the three most commonly made sales presentation mistakes.
1. Lack of preparation.
In my very first sales position, I had to endure six weeks of sales training. In those six weeks, the entire training class had to memorize two four-page sales presentations, and give them to the training class. We were videoed and critiqued, over and over, for the six weeks. At the end of that time we were thoroughly prepared to give that sales presentation.
Now that may have been a bit of an overkill, but the point remains: Preparation is the first step towards an effective sales presentation.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that you memorize the presentation. But it does mean that you organize it, that you secure and check your collateral (the sample, brochures, price quotes, etc that form the basis of what you are selling), and that you practice the presentation several times until you are comfortable with it and confident in your ability to deliver it.
Unfortunately, preparation is a discipline that seems to be fading from the routines of many sales people. The world is full of sales people who either have little respect for their customer’s time, no particular interest in doing their jobs well, or an over-inflated view of their own ad-libbing abilities. Any of these produces the sense that they don’t need to prepare, that on the spur of the moment, they will come up with the most persuasive things to say, in the most effective manner.
That’s too bad. Preparation is the first step toward a better sales presentation, and lack of preparation is endemic in the world of sales.
2. Information purging.
This occurs when a sales person thinks his/her job is to relate everything he/she knows about the product, service or proposal.
I was deeply into a training program wherein we work with six sales people every day for a week. Sales people role-played various situations, we videoed them, critiqued them, and had them role play again, only better.
We were methodically working through the sales process, and it was time to make the sales presentation. The class was taught to organize the presentation on the basis of what they learned about the customer in the previous “find out what they want” role play.
One particular sales person never got that message. He thought a sales presentation was like an oral exam in school. It was his opportunity to spill everything he knew about the product. What should have been a 20 minute presentation dragged on and on for 45 minutes. Even though it was a role play in front of the class, even though it was being video recorded, the person playing the customer began to fall asleep. The hapless sales person continued on, purging himself of every bit and morsel of related information. I had to finally step in and put an end to the tedium.
While that may have been a dramatic example of this mistake, it occurs in smaller ways thousands of times a day. It occurs when sales people feel the need to tell the customer everything they know about the product or service they are presenting, whether the customer cares or is interested in that feature or not.
The problem is greater than just “too much information.” Sales people who do this disrespect the customer, as they don’t take the customer’s interests and requirements into account in the presentation.
As a result, customers are turned off and tuned out, and sales people leave shaking their heads, unable to fathom why the customer didn’t buy all the incredible features of his sales presentation.
3. Failure to include the customer in the presentation.
This occurs when the sales person thinks that the presentation is all about his product, service or proposal. The truth is that effective sales presentations are always about two things: the offer, and how it can impact the customer.
When sales people simply talk about their offer, and ignore the second half of the equation, they make one of the most common mistakes.
Customers are far more interested in how the thing being presented impacts them, than they are in the details of the offer.
The sales person may be impressed with all the neat details and features, but that reflects his/her values, not necessarily those of the customer.
The best sales presentations describe the salient features of the offer, and then relate them to how they impact the customer. Remember “features and benefits”?
This third most common mistake occurs when sales people emphasize the features, and forget the benefits.
If you are guilty of any of these mistakes, or, as a manager, if your sales force is guilty of them, their sales presentations are not as effective as they could be. You are leaving money on the table. Fix these mistakes, and watch your sales rise.
Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He's authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. For a limited time, you can buy his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, and receive $534 of FREE bonuses. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Think Like A CEO
Today sales trainer Colleen Stanley shares how the best salespeople think - like a CEO!
Debra Benton, author of Think Like A CEO, speaks to audiences all over the world about this topic. She is often directing the conversation to other leaders in the organization, not necessarily the sales department. We think it’s time that salespeople quit thinking like salespeople and take Debra’s advice: start thinking like a CEO. These are such salespeople and here are their thoughts, behaviors and actions.
FILO – They are first in or last out. What time are you getting to the office or starting your day? If you are standing in line to order a latte at 8:00 am, you can bet your CEO thinking competitor has completed 20 calls by the time you’ve had your first sip! Great salespeople know the best time to reach the “C” suite is often early in the morning or after 5:00 pm because the gatekeeper isn’t in and/or everyone else has gone home. There’s a reason they say it’s lonely at the top!
CEO’s know that hope is not a strategy. They have too many families counting on them for a paycheck. Top salespeople have the same attitude. When they aren’t hitting their revenue numbers, they do what it takes to get the job done. It’s always surprising to watch salespeople, not hitting quota, hit the door at 4:30 pm. There is a good chance that this salesperson’s sales strategy is based on denial or hope. (There is also a good chance this rep won’t be around next year!)
One of my early sales managers always stressed the power of making one more call, one more stop, one more contact. She nicely said, “I don’t care if you don’t feel like it. I am not paying you for your feelings.” It was always amazing to many how that one more attempt paid off in setting an appointment. (Maybe it was because all the other salespeople were at home.)
They get smarter every day. Most effective CEO’s are enrolled at TUGS, The University of Getting Smarter. Their biggest goal is avoiding that place called, “I know it all.” They understand we live in the knowledge age and companies that compete and win are organizations that have a learning culture. Alvin Toffler says it best. “The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn.” Let’s face it. No prospect wants to be called on by a dumb salesperson.
Experts in the emotional intelligence world call this competency self actualization. People scoring high in this competency are on a continuous journey to reaching their full potential. Steven Stein and Howard Book, authors of The EQ Edge, report that self actualization is one of the key emotional intelligence skills found in top sales producers. Successful salespeople are like successful CEO’s. They don’t wait for someone to provide education, mentoring or advice. They take charge of their learning and growth. In the sales training business, we quickly disqualify a prospect when he says, “Well, let me see if my company will pay for the training.” What he is really saying is, “I’m only going to get better if someone else foots the bill.”
Accountable and transparent. Successful CEO’s know that they are responsible for putting food on the table for many people. They take this responsibility seriously and are accountable to their organization for their actions and decisions.
Unfortunately, many sales organizations lack accountability and accept bad sales behavior such as incomplete data in the CRM system or poor attendance at sales meetings. They believe the myth that top producers are also a pain in the neck—it just comes with the territory. As a result, they cave into the age old excuse of, “Hey, I’m producing sales so don’t micromanage me.” Imagine if other departments in the company were allowed to operate this way.
The accounting department wouldn’t produce month end reports because they have other things to do. (Don’t worry….we will get you your check sometime this month.) The customer service team doesn’t log in customer conversations because they have so many calls coming in.
Lack of accountability leads to lower standards and mistrust. The salesperson that thinks like a CEO knows there are parts of every job that aren’t enjoyable. She also knows that her data and involvement is important in driving strategic decisions at the company.
Think like a CEO. Since you sell to leaders, it’s best to act like one!
Colleen Stanley is president of SalesLeadership Inc., a business development consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training. The company provides programs in prospecting, referral strategies, consultative sales training, sales management training, and hiring/selection. She is also the author of "Growing Great Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield." Reach Colleen at 303.708.1128 or visit www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com.
Debra Benton, author of Think Like A CEO, speaks to audiences all over the world about this topic. She is often directing the conversation to other leaders in the organization, not necessarily the sales department. We think it’s time that salespeople quit thinking like salespeople and take Debra’s advice: start thinking like a CEO. These are such salespeople and here are their thoughts, behaviors and actions.
FILO – They are first in or last out. What time are you getting to the office or starting your day? If you are standing in line to order a latte at 8:00 am, you can bet your CEO thinking competitor has completed 20 calls by the time you’ve had your first sip! Great salespeople know the best time to reach the “C” suite is often early in the morning or after 5:00 pm because the gatekeeper isn’t in and/or everyone else has gone home. There’s a reason they say it’s lonely at the top!
CEO’s know that hope is not a strategy. They have too many families counting on them for a paycheck. Top salespeople have the same attitude. When they aren’t hitting their revenue numbers, they do what it takes to get the job done. It’s always surprising to watch salespeople, not hitting quota, hit the door at 4:30 pm. There is a good chance that this salesperson’s sales strategy is based on denial or hope. (There is also a good chance this rep won’t be around next year!)
One of my early sales managers always stressed the power of making one more call, one more stop, one more contact. She nicely said, “I don’t care if you don’t feel like it. I am not paying you for your feelings.” It was always amazing to many how that one more attempt paid off in setting an appointment. (Maybe it was because all the other salespeople were at home.)
They get smarter every day. Most effective CEO’s are enrolled at TUGS, The University of Getting Smarter. Their biggest goal is avoiding that place called, “I know it all.” They understand we live in the knowledge age and companies that compete and win are organizations that have a learning culture. Alvin Toffler says it best. “The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn.” Let’s face it. No prospect wants to be called on by a dumb salesperson.
Experts in the emotional intelligence world call this competency self actualization. People scoring high in this competency are on a continuous journey to reaching their full potential. Steven Stein and Howard Book, authors of The EQ Edge, report that self actualization is one of the key emotional intelligence skills found in top sales producers. Successful salespeople are like successful CEO’s. They don’t wait for someone to provide education, mentoring or advice. They take charge of their learning and growth. In the sales training business, we quickly disqualify a prospect when he says, “Well, let me see if my company will pay for the training.” What he is really saying is, “I’m only going to get better if someone else foots the bill.”
Accountable and transparent. Successful CEO’s know that they are responsible for putting food on the table for many people. They take this responsibility seriously and are accountable to their organization for their actions and decisions.
Unfortunately, many sales organizations lack accountability and accept bad sales behavior such as incomplete data in the CRM system or poor attendance at sales meetings. They believe the myth that top producers are also a pain in the neck—it just comes with the territory. As a result, they cave into the age old excuse of, “Hey, I’m producing sales so don’t micromanage me.” Imagine if other departments in the company were allowed to operate this way.
The accounting department wouldn’t produce month end reports because they have other things to do. (Don’t worry….we will get you your check sometime this month.) The customer service team doesn’t log in customer conversations because they have so many calls coming in.
Lack of accountability leads to lower standards and mistrust. The salesperson that thinks like a CEO knows there are parts of every job that aren’t enjoyable. She also knows that her data and involvement is important in driving strategic decisions at the company.
Think like a CEO. Since you sell to leaders, it’s best to act like one!
Colleen Stanley is president of SalesLeadership Inc., a business development consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training. The company provides programs in prospecting, referral strategies, consultative sales training, sales management training, and hiring/selection. She is also the author of "Growing Great Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield." Reach Colleen at 303.708.1128 or visit www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Quick Tip: Write Out Your Questions Beforehand
It seems like an easy tip, but you would be shocked by the number of salespeople who head into a meeting with nothing written down! Today sales trainer Mark Hunter discusses what you need to do to be prepared.
Ever head into a meeting with a customer thinking you will “remember” everything you want to ask?
You’d be wiser (and likely more profitable) if you write out your questions before you actually meet with the customer.
The big reason why I encourage people to do this is not what you think. You’re probably thinking it’s so you don’t forget what questions to ask. Yes, this is important, but it’s not the most important reason.
The most important reason why I tell salespeople to write down in advance the questions they want to ask is so they can think through and first determine if each question is worth asking. You will also be able to determine what is the most logical follow-up question to each question.
Too many times the questions salespeople ask are ones they think up either on the fly or ones that are so obvious they border on stupid. Take the time to think through what it is you want to ask.
As you develop each question, ask yourself if it’s going to help the customer see and explain their needs.
Your goal is to engage the customer in a dialogue where they will tell you what their needs and pains are. When they tell you this information, you then have credibility to explore further through the use of follow-up questions.
The follow-up questions are the ones that will really get the customer thinking.
Just make sure you don’t overload the customer too quickly with questions that are too deep in nature.
Work your way through the food chain of questions you want to ask. By taking the customer through a logical progression of questions, it will help them feel comfortable and in control. By doing this, you also will allow the customer to understand better what it is they want and need.
If you move too quickly and ask the customer a very deep question too soon, you run the risk of having them shut down on you. You may feel the question you asked is the right one, but you must be discerning about how the customer will perceive the question.
Writing down your questions in advance equips you to think through how you will ask them, and in so doing, allows you to ultimately ask them at a pace that fits the customer.
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Ever head into a meeting with a customer thinking you will “remember” everything you want to ask?
You’d be wiser (and likely more profitable) if you write out your questions before you actually meet with the customer.
The big reason why I encourage people to do this is not what you think. You’re probably thinking it’s so you don’t forget what questions to ask. Yes, this is important, but it’s not the most important reason.
The most important reason why I tell salespeople to write down in advance the questions they want to ask is so they can think through and first determine if each question is worth asking. You will also be able to determine what is the most logical follow-up question to each question.
Too many times the questions salespeople ask are ones they think up either on the fly or ones that are so obvious they border on stupid. Take the time to think through what it is you want to ask.
As you develop each question, ask yourself if it’s going to help the customer see and explain their needs.
Your goal is to engage the customer in a dialogue where they will tell you what their needs and pains are. When they tell you this information, you then have credibility to explore further through the use of follow-up questions.
The follow-up questions are the ones that will really get the customer thinking.
Just make sure you don’t overload the customer too quickly with questions that are too deep in nature.
Work your way through the food chain of questions you want to ask. By taking the customer through a logical progression of questions, it will help them feel comfortable and in control. By doing this, you also will allow the customer to understand better what it is they want and need.
If you move too quickly and ask the customer a very deep question too soon, you run the risk of having them shut down on you. You may feel the question you asked is the right one, but you must be discerning about how the customer will perceive the question.
Writing down your questions in advance equips you to think through how you will ask them, and in so doing, allows you to ultimately ask them at a pace that fits the customer.
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
4 Ways to Get Out of a Sales Slump
It's early July, which means the year is half over, and you only have six months until yearly sales and goals are assessed. How are you doing? If you're in a slump, this is the time to get out of it, so you work through the summer and go into the fall strong and ready to make your quota! Today sales trainer Mike Brooks shares how you can break out of a slump and get those sales moving!
Let’s face it – every now and then sales don’t seem to be going our way and we can begin to get into fear about making our numbers, making our mortgage, taking that vacation, etc. While we may not be able to control the ebb and flow of sales, what’s important is that we keep control of our attitude and expectancy level. In other words, keeping positive, reflecting on wins, and expecting success is what always drives a top producer through the seemingly slow times in sales.
I like to compare keeping my attitude up to how a pilot tries to stay on the radio beam when he’s flying. A directional beam is projected to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he stays on the beam, he’s safe and he’ll make it through just fine. It doesn’t matter that the weather may be temporarily blinding him or that he may not be able to see where he is or where he’s headed, as long as he can locate and stay on that beam, he’ll be all right.
It’s the same thing in sales. If things are temporarily not going your way, or if you have to start prospecting again, or if that big client or if those deals didn’t close, that’s OK. All you have to do is to get back on the beam of being positive, expecting to close more sales, and continue to reflect on your sales goals. If you can do that (and that may sometimes be a tall order given the temporary appearances), then you’ll be fine in the end.
What you can’t fall victim to is negative thinking. That only leads to deflated attitudes, less activity, and poor sales skills. It tends to feed itself and you start looking for reasons to fail, and you often find them! You know you’re “off the beam” if you’re in fear, if you get agitated easily, if you become resentful of others or if you begin feeling depressed in any way.
If that happens, here are 4 ways to get back on the beam:
1) Reflect back on your previous wins. Get quiet and begin reliving all the times when you closed big deals, when you made your goal and when you got new clients and closed deals. Remember those feelings… This will immediately move you back towards the beam.
2) Remind yourself that your very next phone call could result in the biggest deal of your career. This is not only true, but by dwelling on it you’ll begin to want to make more calls, and you will actually begin attracting that success to yourself.
3) Review your financial goals and begin imaging how you feel now that you’ve achieved them. Relish those feelings. Get excited about what you’re enjoying now that you’ve reached your goals. This is visualization 101 and remember that your subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between a real event and one vividly imaged with feeling.
4) Change your attitude into one of absolute service to others rather on if you’re going to get a deal. Start each phone call with the thought, “I’m here to be of maximum service to this person.” That will not only take the pressure off of you, but your prospect will feel it – and respond to you.
Any one of these techniques will get you back on the beam. If you combine all four of them you’ll be out of your temporary slump in no time and you’ll be closing deals like the top pro you know you are.
Mike Brooks, MrInsideSales.com, is creator and publisher of the "Top 20% Inside Sales Tips" weekly Ezine. If you're ready to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then sign up to receive your FREE tips now at: www.MrInsideSales.com.
Let’s face it – every now and then sales don’t seem to be going our way and we can begin to get into fear about making our numbers, making our mortgage, taking that vacation, etc. While we may not be able to control the ebb and flow of sales, what’s important is that we keep control of our attitude and expectancy level. In other words, keeping positive, reflecting on wins, and expecting success is what always drives a top producer through the seemingly slow times in sales.
I like to compare keeping my attitude up to how a pilot tries to stay on the radio beam when he’s flying. A directional beam is projected to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he stays on the beam, he’s safe and he’ll make it through just fine. It doesn’t matter that the weather may be temporarily blinding him or that he may not be able to see where he is or where he’s headed, as long as he can locate and stay on that beam, he’ll be all right.
It’s the same thing in sales. If things are temporarily not going your way, or if you have to start prospecting again, or if that big client or if those deals didn’t close, that’s OK. All you have to do is to get back on the beam of being positive, expecting to close more sales, and continue to reflect on your sales goals. If you can do that (and that may sometimes be a tall order given the temporary appearances), then you’ll be fine in the end.
What you can’t fall victim to is negative thinking. That only leads to deflated attitudes, less activity, and poor sales skills. It tends to feed itself and you start looking for reasons to fail, and you often find them! You know you’re “off the beam” if you’re in fear, if you get agitated easily, if you become resentful of others or if you begin feeling depressed in any way.
If that happens, here are 4 ways to get back on the beam:
1) Reflect back on your previous wins. Get quiet and begin reliving all the times when you closed big deals, when you made your goal and when you got new clients and closed deals. Remember those feelings… This will immediately move you back towards the beam.
2) Remind yourself that your very next phone call could result in the biggest deal of your career. This is not only true, but by dwelling on it you’ll begin to want to make more calls, and you will actually begin attracting that success to yourself.
3) Review your financial goals and begin imaging how you feel now that you’ve achieved them. Relish those feelings. Get excited about what you’re enjoying now that you’ve reached your goals. This is visualization 101 and remember that your subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between a real event and one vividly imaged with feeling.
4) Change your attitude into one of absolute service to others rather on if you’re going to get a deal. Start each phone call with the thought, “I’m here to be of maximum service to this person.” That will not only take the pressure off of you, but your prospect will feel it – and respond to you.
Any one of these techniques will get you back on the beam. If you combine all four of them you’ll be out of your temporary slump in no time and you’ll be closing deals like the top pro you know you are.
Mike Brooks, MrInsideSales.com, is creator and publisher of the "Top 20% Inside Sales Tips" weekly Ezine. If you're ready to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then sign up to receive your FREE tips now at: www.MrInsideSales.com.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Time and the Art of Selling
A salesperson's time is essential. The way you use your time directly correlates to how much money you make! Today author and trainer Anne Miller discusses how salespeople can best use their time.
One of my favorite cartoons shows Opportunity in the form of a woman wearing angel wings speaking into the intercom of an apartment building lobby to a tenant and the caption says, “It’s Opportunity, Mr. Jones. It’s Opportunity. I only ring once.” I was reminded of this while teaching a time management program to salespeople at GE Capital recently.
Time is everyone’s currency. Spend it well and it rewards you. Waste it and it costs you. You only get a few opportunities to sit with any single prospect or client.Make every second count.
Haste Makes Waste (Trite but true)
If you skimp on prep time for a call, prospects will notice immediately, feel insulted or annoyed, clam up, or at least share only minimal information with you, and get you out of their offices faster than you can say, “Have a nice day.” Question to ask yourself: Are you doing the right things during the time you spend planning for your calls to ensure the best reception to you and your business?
If your conversation fails to get into anything deeper than surface needs, you will end up presenting ideas and solutions that are off the mark or have the sticking power of snowflakes hitting hot pavement which will generally lead to smaller deals or no deals at all. While you don’t want to be scripted, you do want to have a conversation that is both substantive and moving forward. Ask yourself: Do you take the time to think through how you will execute a strategic conversation with each person you meet?
If you run from one account to another, you will be very active, but not necessarily very productive, missing opportunities to cross sell, up-sell, and build competitively resistant moats around your clients. Developing $500,000 from two accounts is generally much less wear and tear on you than developing fifty accounts of $10,000 each. . Do you take the time to figure out how you will develop long-term business?
“Slow Down. You Move Too Fast. Got to Make the Morning Last” (Simon & Garfunkel)
I could go on, but you get the point. As much as we all love technology and our various tech toys, there are still only 24 hours in a day. In today’s world where everything moves faster and faster, I suggest it is better to slow down, get your bearings, and take the time to polish your skills, strategies, and attention to detail so that clients will want to spend their time--and money--with you.
Internationally respected author, speaker and seminar leader, Anne Miller teaches sales people how to increase their business; coaches CEOs and senior management to communicate successfully to key constituencies; and enables technical people to transform complex information into simpler, meaningful messages. Learn more at www.annemiller.com
One of my favorite cartoons shows Opportunity in the form of a woman wearing angel wings speaking into the intercom of an apartment building lobby to a tenant and the caption says, “It’s Opportunity, Mr. Jones. It’s Opportunity. I only ring once.” I was reminded of this while teaching a time management program to salespeople at GE Capital recently.
Time is everyone’s currency. Spend it well and it rewards you. Waste it and it costs you. You only get a few opportunities to sit with any single prospect or client.Make every second count.
Haste Makes Waste (Trite but true)
If you skimp on prep time for a call, prospects will notice immediately, feel insulted or annoyed, clam up, or at least share only minimal information with you, and get you out of their offices faster than you can say, “Have a nice day.” Question to ask yourself: Are you doing the right things during the time you spend planning for your calls to ensure the best reception to you and your business?
If your conversation fails to get into anything deeper than surface needs, you will end up presenting ideas and solutions that are off the mark or have the sticking power of snowflakes hitting hot pavement which will generally lead to smaller deals or no deals at all. While you don’t want to be scripted, you do want to have a conversation that is both substantive and moving forward. Ask yourself: Do you take the time to think through how you will execute a strategic conversation with each person you meet?
If you run from one account to another, you will be very active, but not necessarily very productive, missing opportunities to cross sell, up-sell, and build competitively resistant moats around your clients. Developing $500,000 from two accounts is generally much less wear and tear on you than developing fifty accounts of $10,000 each. . Do you take the time to figure out how you will develop long-term business?
“Slow Down. You Move Too Fast. Got to Make the Morning Last” (Simon & Garfunkel)
I could go on, but you get the point. As much as we all love technology and our various tech toys, there are still only 24 hours in a day. In today’s world where everything moves faster and faster, I suggest it is better to slow down, get your bearings, and take the time to polish your skills, strategies, and attention to detail so that clients will want to spend their time--and money--with you.
Internationally respected author, speaker and seminar leader, Anne Miller teaches sales people how to increase their business; coaches CEOs and senior management to communicate successfully to key constituencies; and enables technical people to transform complex information into simpler, meaningful messages. Learn more at www.annemiller.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)